Drinking culture in Korea Essay

Despite the economic down turn, Korean consumers are still ardent drinkers. The drinking culture in Korea are favourable towards on-trade channels, as drinking is considered an important social activity. Alcoholic drinks are an important accompaniment to events ranging from orientation program in universities to company dinners and welcoming parties for new employees or farewell parties, as well as birthdays, weddings and funerals. 11 There is a unique and peculiar drinking custom in Korea. When Koreans drink alcohol with someone older than them, they are extremely cautious when pouring the alcohol. It is important not make the senior’s glass over flow, but more importantly It is important to use two hands when you are pouring the alcohol. This shows respect and a token of admiration, and this custom is applied to every case in Korea. For example you should submit you coursework with two hands to your teacher. 12 Koreans on occasion will exchange glasses. When somebody offers liquor with his glass, the drink should be drunk straight away and offer more liquor with the glass. Drinkers tend to serve one another rather than have the drinks poured by a bartender. 13 South Korea has a well-known reputation for having the most dangerous drinking culture in the world. A night out in town with Korean businessmen can entail some serious culture shocks, as Koreans are well known for the alcohol tolerance. Drinking plays a big part in the Korean culture as it helps build trust and deepen relationships. It is believe that alcohol is an invaluable social lubricant. There are also well known drinking games in Korea amongst the young generation. The latest report from by the â€Å"Korean Institutes for Heath and Social Affairs† shows that the average adult male in Korea drinks about 11 days out of the month and women four. 14 This suggests that there is a strong drinking culture in Korea and that it is integrated into every aspect of their lives some way or another. Domestic reports show that in 2002, an average Korean drank 59 bottles of Soju, 86 bottles of beer and 1. 3 bottles of whisky annually. Consumer expenditure on alcoholic drinks had an overall increase throughout the late 1990’s through to the 2003. 2003 started with a gloomy outlook for the South Korean economy. Most economist report low consumer sentiments and affected alcoholic drinks in a varying manner. 29 Whisky imports have fallen by 30%; this may be due to the continuation of Korea’s economic slump. In June Korea imported $15. 76 million (approx i 9. 3) worth of whisky, however in May it imported $20. 7million (approx i 12. 17). It is the first time that whisky imports have marked a double-digit fall since July 2001. According to industry experts, the reduction in imports resulted in a drop in consumption of premium whisky due the slow moving economy. Many companies have instructed their employees not to go to expensive bars when they meet their clients. â€Å"Whisky consumption responds to business fluctuations† an official at the commerce, Industry and energy Ministry Said â€Å"diminishing whisky imports are likely to continue for the time being†. Whisky consumption has fallen over four successive months, from January to April, for the first time since the 1997 financial crisis. 30 As a result there has been an increase in Soju consumption and a decline in whisky consumption. This can be seen from the quantity of whisky actually delivered into Korea, which fell by 50% from March to April. Soju on the other hand increase its sales with 16% during the same period. 32 33 South Korea’s whisky consumption is a barometer of how confident the country’s 48 million people re feeling about their economy. All foods and beverages imported into Korea are subject to inspections by the Ministry of Health and Welfare/food quantitative division. There are two types of food and beverage inspections: a detailed chemical analysis test and visual/document inspection. Korean-language labels must include the following: name of the product; country of origin; type of product; importers name, address and telephone number; business licence number of importer; expiration date; alcohol percentage and volume; name and volume of ingredients by percentage; name of place where the product can be returned or exchanged in case the product is damaged or defective; instructions for storage; name of food additives; the Government’s health warning clause and lot number or manufacturing date. As a result if Glen Sporran is imported into Korea, it must abide with the labelling instructions stated above. 42 9. 3 Price When Pricing Glen Sporran, it should be noted that it is a premium malt whisky and the price should reflect the quality of the product. When pricing Glen Sporran the direct competitors should be considered. The Price should be compared to the other single malt whiskies that are already in the Korean market, as they would have went through similar strategies to make the whisky available. 10. Distribution There is a high consumption of alcoholic beverages through on-trade channels in Korea. There are well-developed on-trade channels in Korea such as restaurants, pubs, and nightclubs especially in Seoul. On- Trade sales continued to account for a significant percentage of sales in the overall alcoholic drinks market in 2003. Even though there is a significant price gap for whisky due to high import tax and high local duties, Glen Sporran can be sold in premium on-trade outlets where consumers do not mind a high price gap as they enjoy the mood and the environment such outlets have to offer.

Progressive Era

The Progressive Era reformers and the fedreal government were effective in bringing about reform at the national level by proof of amnedments passed, the food and drug administration, and various acts. One way that the progressives and federal government reformed America is by the four amendments; 16, 17, 18, and 19. The seventeenth amendment in 1913 provided for the direct election of senatros which was a victory for Roosevelt and pregressives. Another amendment passed during the Progressive Era was the abolition of alchohol, which is insignifigant in reform at the national level because it was later repealed. Finally, there was the nineteenth amendment whih allowed women's suffrage due to the progressive feminist movement. These different amendments were all ways in which the federal government helped reform America nationally. Upton Sinclair's book, The Jungle, enlightened the American punlic of the horrors of the meatpacking industry. Consequently, the Meat Inspection Act of 1906, was passed making meat shipped over state lines subject to inspection. Thus the food and drug administration was a result of the Progressive movement as well. Some of the various acts that were passed that met the pregressive standards are the Clayton Anti-Trust Act of 1914 which legalizes strikes and peaceful picketing; the Workingmen's Compensation Act and another act restricting child labor on products headed into interstate commerce; the Adamson Act which established an 8-hour workday; the La Follete Seamens's Act which required decent living wages for sailors, and a few other acts. Jane Addam's book, The Spirit of Youth and the City Streets, exhibits some of the pregressive feelings towards child labor and the evil of it. In conclusion, the federal government and the progressive Era were very effective in shaping and reforming America by these examples. Progressive Era The role and responsibilities of the federal government changed drastically during the Progressive Era and the New Deal. Rapid changes after the Civil War brought on a need for economic, social and political reforms. Before the Progressive Era and the New Deal, the federal government took a very hands-off approach and had little involvement in, and little care for the welfare of the American people. With the Progressive Era and the New Deal, the federal government became more involved and responsive to the public and implemented many revisions and reforms.The Progressive Era was a time of political and economic transformation. The role and responsibilities of the federal government evolved. Reform was necessary because of the changes that occurred during the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution brought on many changes, an important one being growth in the number and scope of work in factories. Factories and mechanization caused a need for less skilled workers, which in tu rn resulted in lower labor costs, lower wages, longer hours and appalling working conditions.Labor Unions were formed as a result of these conditions in order to protect the working class and put pressure on employers. During the Progressive Era, the federal government created labor laws, trade regulations and instituted other various measures in order to protect the public. The federal government also protected the rights of laborers to organize unions and became involved in the mediation of labor disputes in order to prevent riots from occurring. The regulation of utilities and railroads was used to protect the public welfare from the abuses of large corporations.The federal government also began to regulate large businesses and monopolies. It accepted large-scale corporations as an essential part of the economy but also embraced the need to regulate them. Trusts were also of great concern to the federal government. The Federal Trade Commission was instituted in order to protect t he public from additional abuses of large corporations. The federal government also promoted the public’s support of the war. Through voluntary and collaborative means, the federal government rallied businesses and the public in support of the war effort.The federal government made political changes on a national level with the Sixteenth, Seventeenth, Eighteenth and Nineteenth Amendments. The Sixteenth Amendment imposed an income tax. The Seventeenth Amendment allowed for the direct election of U. S. Senators. The Eighteenth Amendment established the prohibition of alcoholic beverages and the Nineteenth Amendment prohibited any U. S. citizen from being denied the right to vote based on sex. During the Progressive Era, social reform and cultural changes also occurred. Consumerism was at an all time high.It became a time of economic prosperity. With the introduction of electricity came household appliances. Movies, automobiles, radios, telephones, magazines, and advertising wer e in the forefront. While consumption prompted the economy in a forward direction, other economic issues arose throughout the country. Agriculture and mining were not prospering. The steel and textile industries were standing idly. The nation also relied too heavily on credit in order to maintain product demand and economic expansion. Lastly, consumer onfidence led to over-speculation in stocks. This inevitably led to the Stock Market Crash of 1929, which in turn marked the beginning of the Great Depression. Franklin Delano Roosevelt came into office in 1933 during the depth of the Great Depression. He launched the New Deal as a solution for bringing the United States out of the Great Depression. The New Deal changed the role of the government by expanding its involvement in social and economic affairs. The goal of the New Deal was to provide the â€Å"3 R’s†: relief, recovery and reform.The federal government worked to provide relief for the masses of unemployed, reco very of the depressed economy and reform of the financial system. Reforms were highlighted in a variety of acts that were passed. During the first 100 days of Roosevelt’s administration, more legislation was passed than under any previous president. The Federal Emergency Relief Act established funding and programs for relief and provided grants to the states to help people with food and shelter. The Civilian Conservation Corps Act granted the government the ability to pay young men to build bridges, roads and dams and plant 17 million dollars in new forests.The Agricultural Adjustment Act paid farmers not to plant crops so that the surpluses would not drive down prices. The National Industrial Recovery Act created the first minimum wage and marked the first time that the government intervened in business. The Works Projects Administration allowed the government to create over 250,000 projects and paid people to complete them. The Social Security Act created a pension for peop le over 65 years of age. All of these reform programs provided employment and direct payments to individuals and improved the economy.The federal government worked diligently to bring the United States out of the Great Depression during the New Deal and in doing so, the relationship between the government and the people changed significantly. The government took on a greater role in the everyday lives of people. As you can see, the role and responsibilities of the federal government changed considerably during the Progressive Era and the New Deal. The new hands-on approach of the government allowed for political, social and economic reforms during the 20th century. Progressive Era The Progressive Era reformers and the fedreal government were effective in bringing about reform at the national level by proof of amnedments passed, the food and drug administration, and various acts. One way that the progressives and federal government reformed America is by the four amendments; 16, 17, 18, and 19. The seventeenth amendment in 1913 provided for the direct election of senatros which was a victory for Roosevelt and pregressives. Another amendment passed during the Progressive Era was the abolition of alchohol, which is insignifigant in reform at the national level because it was later repealed. Finally, there was the nineteenth amendment whih allowed women's suffrage due to the progressive feminist movement. These different amendments were all ways in which the federal government helped reform America nationally. Upton Sinclair's book, The Jungle, enlightened the American punlic of the horrors of the meatpacking industry. Consequently, the Meat Inspection Act of 1906, was passed making meat shipped over state lines subject to inspection. Thus the food and drug administration was a result of the Progressive movement as well. Some of the various acts that were passed that met the pregressive standards are the Clayton Anti-Trust Act of 1914 which legalizes strikes and peaceful picketing; the Workingmen's Compensation Act and another act restricting child labor on products headed into interstate commerce; the Adamson Act which established an 8-hour workday; the La Follete Seamens's Act which required decent living wages for sailors, and a few other acts. Jane Addam's book, The Spirit of Youth and the City Streets, exhibits some of the pregressive feelings towards child labor and the evil of it. In conclusion, the federal government and the progressive Era were very effective in shaping and reforming America by these examples.

American Indians Essay Research Paper American IndiansThroughout

American Indians Essay, Research Paper American Indians Throughout the history of the United States, American Indians have be treated ill. Ever since the white work forces crossed the Atlantic ocean 200 old ages ago till the mid 1900 s, the hapless intervention and violent death of Indians neer ceased. US Policies passed between the Revolutionary War and the mid 1900 s hurt American Indians and set them at an utmost disadvantage. Before the Revolutionary War, the first intimation that the relationship between the American Indians and the white people would be rocky was when the British ordered the Proclamation of 1763. It prohibited any white colonists to settle West of the Appalachian Mountains because of legion struggles with the American Indians. After the Revolutionary War, the construct of Manifest Destiny, to spread out the state to the Pacific Ocean and perchance Canada and Mexico, motivated many Americans to look beyond their districts. After the Revolutionary War, they successfully gained all the land E of the Appalachian Mountains, from the St. Lawrence River to the 31st analogue. When the United States signed the Treaty of Versailles in 1783, it gave them the Great Lakes and Mississippi. The United States were able to spread out even more after they were able to press the Native Americans to give up their lands in the Northwest District in 1784 and 1785. In 1802, all the provinces had given up their districts to the federal authorities as portion of the new Constitution. Most significantly, when North Carolina gave up its districts, it stopped doing payments that were guaranteed to the Indians in earlier pacts. The United States were to pay off the debt, but they failed to make so. A big part to the enlargement of the United States was acquired through the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803. Then in 1819, Florida was purchased from the Spaniards. Texas freed itself from Mexico in 1845, became an independent province, and joined the United States. Last, in 1848 the last major land the United States obtained was Californ ia and New Mexico from the Mexican Cession. On the seventy-fifth birthday of the state, the United States had fulfilled its Manifest Destiny and its boundary lines crossed the full North American Continent ( Jones, Pg. 9-12 ) . The problem for the American Indian began here. With all the new land acquired, many white Americans headed to the West and mid-west to settle. During these colonies, the Indians got in the manner. The colonists were taking their land off from them and the white colonists killed the Indians to acquire rid of their jobs easy. In the heads of many white Americans, the best manner to work out the job with Indians interfering was to kill off them. The first major conflict that erupted between the Indians and the Americans over land ownership and Indian intervention from the Americans occurred during the War of 1812. In 1813, the Indians along with their Alliess the British, fought the Americans at the Battle of the Thames River. Here Tecumseh died. Tecumseh was the leader of the Shawnee Tribe who besides led and united many Indian folks to drive the Americans off of their land. After he died, the Indians lost an of import leader and hence lost their sense of way and stopped contending fo r awhile. In 1828, Andrew Jackson, the war hero who defeated the Creeks and British became the new President of the United States. Andrew Jackson was considered a frontier adult male. The Americans on the frontier looked up to him and expected him to hold a no-nonsense policy toward the Indians ( Jones, Pg. 19 ) . The Cherokee Indians were the first Indians to be a victim of the Jackson policy. At the clip, the Cherokees were the most comfortable Indian state. The white colonists in the country began to bust the Cherokees. The federal authorities did nil about this. But when the Cherokees retaliated against the white colonists, the Cherokees were tried and punished badly. Finally, the Cherokees got fed up and appealed to the federal authorities and worked ferociously to maintain the pact duties that required the United States federal authorities to protect the Cherokees and their lands. But the federal authorities said that the white colonists who took their land were excessively legion to be moved and therefore were unable to assist the Indians. So alternatively of following the pact with the Cherokees, the federal authorities under the Jackson disposal took land off from them. The Cherokees brought their instance to the Supreme Court to seek justness. Rather, the United States Senate ratified the Treaty of New Echota and President Jackson signed the pact into jurisprudence leting the authorities to take all Cherokees from their land ( Satz Pg. 20 ) . This determination by President Jackson was the first in a series of monolithic Indian remotion ( Gilbert Pg.23 ) . Finally, the Cherokees were forced to fly to Indian Land, besides known as Oklahoma. After the successful remotion of the Cherokees, the federal authorities decided to take the Choctaws, Creeks, and Chickasaws to Oklahoma every bit good. The Indians were harassed by the Whites and suffered from diseases while going to Oklahoma on the trail known as the Trails of Tears ( Gilbert Pg. 27,28 ) . In 1832, US troop s chased the Sauk state across the Mississippi River. They killed at least 200 Sauks. As a consequence of this inhumane act, the federal authorities gave the staying Sauks their ain land in Iowa. Most of the remotions made by the United States authorities were conducted without believing about the comfort or wellness of the Indians. Most of the clip, they were conducted with ferociousness ( Jones, Pg. 23 ) . The Indians were forced to walk 100s of stat mis because the authorities did non supply them with good transit. Besides, the United States authorities promised lodging, nutrient, farm supplies, and farm animal to get down them out at their new locations, but they turned out to be false promised and hopes for the Indians. In most instances, the Indians were normally dropped off in the wilderness and left there to last on hardly nil. Other times when they reached their new locations, before they knew it, they were being removed to another location. This procedure was repeated over and over until the Westward Movement. The Westward Movement caused even more problems for American Indians. The Westward Movement began after gold was found in California. Many colonists and gold diggers traveled to the West for many different grounds. The authorities prepared to seek and forestall any struggle and confrontation between the Whites and the Indians before it happened by directing the US Army to modulate. They built garrisons and forts for this ground. Army functionaries were sent west to do understandings and pacts with the Indians. Besides, their occupation was to do certain that the pacts and understanding were non to be violated by both parties. From 1778-1871, the federal authorities made 389 pacts with the Indian states. The conditions of the pacts were that if the United States were to take any of the Indians billion estates of land, so the authorities would pay for the land and give them one-year rentes and supplies. Besides, the Indians would ever hold land for themselves. These lands would be free from revenue enhancement. Unfortunately, the pacts were frequently broken. Settlers ignored the pacts and invaded and settled on Indian district guaranteed under the pact. The Fort Laramie Treaty, which was signed in 1868 is an illustration of a broken pact ( Utley Pg.61,86 ) . The Indians were given sole rights to the sacred land of the Black Hills. Then in 1874, when gold was discovered at that place, the white gold diggers and mineworkers ignored the pact and invaded the Indian district. When these colonists invaded their land and the authorities did non make anything about it, the Indians took action and attacked the colonists. The victim of these Indian foraies felt that the authorities should be protecting them from the Indians, because they felt they had non done anything incorrect. Again, the authorities did non make anything. So this clip the colonists retaliated against the Indians by themselves. Besides killing guiltless Indians and occupying their land, the white colonists showed no regard for the land. They destroyed the grass and tree, about killed all the game for pleasance that the Indians depended on for endurance. By 1871, tenseness a nd struggle between the Indians and the colonists grew even stronger. The white people wanted the authorities to give them entree to Indian land while the Indians wanted the authorities to maintain their word, follow the pact, and protect their lands. In order to run into the demands of the white people, the federal authorities decided to hold a new policy. The policy was to hold no more pacts with the Indians. They were no longer be considered as independent states. Hostile Indians were to be captured by the US ground forces and set in Indian reserves. If they resisted to travel to a reserve they were considered hostile. To do it easier to direct all the Indians to the reserves, the authorities urged white huntsmans and sportswomans to kill off the American bisons. This was the most of import game that the Indians depended on to populate. Between 1872 and 1874, white huntsmans and sportswomans killed about four million American bisons, go forthing about 150,000 ( Brash Pgs. 62, 66,67 ) . Reservation life was awful for the Indians. Most of the Indian reserve were wasteland. They were inhabitable. Indians were frequently expected to farm on these barren, which was rather impossible. Indian Reservations became crowded as more and more American indians were being pushed and moved off their ain land. Another job was that the Indians were frequently sent to reserves that were non suited for them. For illustration, the Navajos, Indians who live in the hot desert, were sent to a reserve across the state to Florida. And the Sioux Indians, Indians who lived in the cool fields, were sent to reserves in the desert of New Mexico. The hapless and crowded conditions on the reserves caused lifelessly diseases to distribute and caused 1000s of deceases on the reserves. Many of the Indians became fed up with reserve life, and left. Many folks formed impermanent confederations with each other to salvage themselves. They were successful at the Battle of Bighorn in 1876 where they defeated General George Custer. Even though they were winning, this merely angered the white people even more. Armies were doubled as a consequence of this. As they lost conflicts, they found it more hard to contend on ( Billard Pg. 338-339 ) . Every clip they were defeated, all their properties would be destroyed. They would hold been lucky to populate. In 1890, Chief Sitting Bull and his 300 guiltless staying Indians were massacred by the US Army in South Dakota. As a consequence of this, many Indian folks gave up hope and surrendered. At the beginning of the twentieth, there were about 250,000 Indians in the United States. The Bureau of Indian Affairs was formed under the Department of War. The duty of the agency was to see that the best involvement of the Indians were served and to make up ones mind what those involvements were. But the Bureau was made up of white males. They were frequently bias towards the Indians. This hurt the Indian civilization and future coevalss because now the end of the agency and federal authorities was to educate all Indians and do them bury their old ways and traditions. Slowly, they were seeking to wipe out the Indian traditions and civilization off. The new coevalss of Indians were taken off to get oning school. They were non allowed to talk their native linguistic communication. They were forced to pattern Christianity. They were told that their Indian heritage were non approved by American society ( Billard Pg. 341-384 ) . As of today, Indians still live on reserves. They do non hold to pay revenue enhancements. The American Indians today are good treated. They are considered Americans today and have equal rights merely as any other ethic groups in the United States. Although the American Indians are treated every bit today, they were non treated every bit for the past 200 old ages. The white work forces came across the sea and invaded their land. All they could make was ticker and seek to contend back, but that did non work for them. The future coevalss were greatly affected by this because the sad events did non let them to hold every bit many chances and easiness to larn about their roots and tradition.

Intervie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Intervie - Essay Example The main misconception about the Arabic culture is concerned with the Arabic women, and I sought to understand their behaviors both in their homes and in public life. From the interview, I understood that the ideas that I had about Arabic women are mostly wrong, for example, the idea that all Arabic women are always veiled, or that all women are oppressed by their male counterparts are false, in fact, the women are accorded all they respect that they deserve. My interview with Amina revealed that not all Arabic women have to wear veils, for example, in Syria, Lebanon and Egypt, the habit of wearing veils is not imposed on the women, on the contrary, it is a choice that is taken out of respect for the culture. However, in some countries, it is a law that all women are supposed to cover their hair and faces from the prying eyes of men. This is done so that the woman remains mysterious and has no chance of infidelity. The Arabic woman is also surprisingly industrious, contrary from the misconception that they are always lazy and uneducated. From my interview, I learnt that the average Arabic woman would always take care of her family, ensuring that the family is well fed and taken care of. I understood this after asking Amina whether all women are stay-at-home moms who wait for their husbands to provide for their families. Amina informed me that, even though some women are in big families, where the husband has up to four wives, all women strive to ensure that their families are well taken care of. The average woman will always be found in the market place looking for fresh food products for their families, and in the case of peasants, they look for food for their children in the best ways possible. The women will usually spend their days chatting with their neighbors, cleaning up, looking for food, and ensuring that their children get the education that they deserve. However, Amina also

Symbolic Interaction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Symbolic Interaction - Essay Example The specific events where the meanings are applied could only be clearly visualized by the researcher by immersing himself in the situation. It would be extremely difficult to determine the meaning of things to people and their interpretation of it if the symbolic interactionist has not observed how the meaning came about. The researcher would have a better view of the person’s application of the meaning if he sees the circumstance where it is applied. 2. The classes that I like are Speech, and Geography. Using the â€Å"Looking Glass Theory of Cooley, I can say that one reason that I like Speech is because when I was young, my parents and some of my relatives often told me that I can be a very good speaker. They viewed me as someone who is very confident when speaking in front of a lot of people. Even during my elementary and high school days, I was often chosen by my teacher to represent the class in declamation contests because of how well I am able to express myself. This perception of other people towards me during my younger days somehow became instilled in me. I came to believe that I have a talent in speaking in front of a crowd and that I can express myself well verbally. I also like Geography class.

Single Parenting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Single Parenting - Essay Example This situation can be reached with divorce, separation or break up after the relation without marriage. Though single parent families started originating in the early 1950's, they were at their peak somewhere around the late 1980's and 1990's. The main cause of a complete family being broken down into a single parent family was the death of a partner. However, the trend changed, and the main cause turned towards the divorce between partners. It is this addition of several new causes, especially divorce, that the single parent family form is the fastest growing form of family in the North America. The first surprising fact about single parenting is that this phenomenon has been defined in two different ways. The following definition of single parents is distinct by only a single feature. Single parenting is a situation where the sole parent is responsible for the upbringing of the child. The sole parent does not receive any form of assistance from the other parent due to circumstances such as death, abandonment, etc. There can be several other reasons beside a few listed. According to this definition, some single parents might not be entitled to hold the status of being a single parent. However, as discussed earlier, the changing trend brought with it, changes in the causes of becoming a single parent. ... However, the second half of this decade saw a general decline in the rise of single parent families. The rise of single parent families that dominated the US culture for 4 decades, ended 1996 onwards (Statistics). Reports in 1960 suggested that only 9 percent of the total children’s' population in the US was living in single parent families. This rose to a staggering 25% in 1990 and to 28% in the year 2000 (Simmons and ’Neill). It is interesting to note how these changes came about in statistical terms. Three separate trends of the family culture can be identified. Between 1996 – 2000, the share of children living with a never married parent rose to 11.0 percent from 10.6 percent. However, this first trend was offset by the second trend. The percentage of children living with a divorced parent dropped to 15.6 percent from 17.3 percent. The third trend, children living with a widowed parent, maintained a constant percentage of 1.2 percent. These figures depict tha t the number of children living with a never married parent increased by 400,000 whereas the number of children living with a divorced parent decreased by 1 million (Statistics). The US Census from the year 2000 shows us that 12.2% of all households are female single parent households whereas 4.2% of all households are male single parent households. According to these statistics there are a total number of 17,294,115 single parent families in the US alone (Weiss). The trend in the United Kingdom has been similar. Over a quarter (26%) of the families in Britain are single parent families. In numbers, there are over 2 million parents in Britain today, though this number has remained more or less constant since the

SDiverse learners as challenges and opportunities Research Paper

SDiverse learners as challenges and opportunities - Research Paper Example Thus, in this situation, the implications that the provided students’ characteristics would have for me as a facilitator of learning are providing the education within the vicious circle and initiating a standardized education regimen (Merriam & Grace, 2011). Certain challenges are likely to be faced by me while taking adult English as an ESL class with diverse learners. In this regard, one of such challenges can be determining appropriate goal settings of the individual learners. This is mainly owing to the reason of possessing diverse goals by different learners (Sample, 2002). Apart from this, I can also face the challenge of imparting basic psychological based concepts along with theories to such learners, as the learners belong to different cultural background and native places (Jackson, 2009). The opportunities that are present in the aforementioned context include acquiring the idea about how community or adult education is being imparted to the learners holding different cultural backgrounds and also exploring distinct problems or issues that tend to generate democratic learning spaces in the stated procedure. Apart from this, the learners might present the opportunity of carefully examine any sort of prevailing structural inequality in the learning procedure (Grace & Wells, 2007; Gouthro, 2007). Grace, A. P., & Wells, K. (2011). Using Freirean pedagogy of just ire to inform critical social learning in arts-informed community education for sexual minorities. Adult Education Quarterly, 57(2),

Islam and Conventional Economic Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Islam and Conventional Economic Systems - Essay Example Contrary to the conventional system, the Islamic system is based on the belief that God gives the man the power as a trustee for the needy. They allow legal ownership of property on condition of sharing with the society. Sectors of production and trade in this system are under public ownership. Customers under the Islamic system are entitled to public ownership of property. Under the conventional system, economic freedom is a dominant feature. Individuals do not meddle with the state in executing their freedom. The system allows the participation of individuals in the initiation and establishment of businesses, and professions. It allows for salary remunerations and free-will expenditure. Furthermore, it permits unrestricted economic freedom. The freedom, however, encourages exorbitant ways of generating cash such as illegal trafficking and gambling. It also encourages malpractices such as fraud, smuggling, and adulteration in business. The system allows for wealth competition and th e necessity to realize high profits. Unlike the conventional system, the Islam economic system allows limited economic freedom to individuals to earn wealth. The system differentiates between haram and halal as pertains wealth acquisition. Halal is an activity that is in line with the law while haram is activities forbidden under set regulations. The economic system forbids expenditure on luxurious lifestyles, spending extravagantly. The system encourages the wealthy to spend on the poor and the needy as a good gesture.

Discrimination Of The African Americans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Discrimination Of The African Americans - Essay Example However, the development in Southern part of America has been slow due to the presence of the ethnic group of African American. They are the people who faced dominance and low status in the nation due to their skin color. They have been deprived of various rights affecting their social and economic position1. The life of the people in this period has been was different and the amenities received depended a lot on their ethnicity and race. In this essay, the history and life of the African American are depicted who are facing challenges since 1877. In the year 1928, the life of the native people and the African Americans is dissimilar due to the presence of strong governance giving rise to inequality and a lack of self-esteem along with respect. In the current situation i.e. 1928, as an undergraduate student at Howard University, the perceived highs and lows of African Americans are being explored with the argument in between the period of 1877 to 1928. The African Americans live majo rly in the south and the prevailing challenging situation in the nation is affecting the lives of farmers. The jobs that are provided to the people of higher ranks are in the mines, tobacco, and ores. The blacks are deprived of every facility even if they have the potential than the whites. The educated blacks are positioned under the whites in order to suppress them. The position of the blacks although large in number is suppressed by the whites-only because of their color. Moreover, the women of the African American origin are forced to work for the whites as slaves. This is one of the low points faced by African Americans since 1877. This implies that according to the whites, the skin color is the only criteria for the people to get a job and status in the society irrespective of the fact the person has enormous potential2.

E1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

E1 - Essay Example The paper elaborates the relationship between the financial development and the economic growth in China with the help of researches that are carried out by many proficient researchers (Zhang, Lanfang and Susheng, 2012). Allen (2005 cited in Zhang, Lanfang and Susheng, 2012), an eminent researchers has commented that China has been an important example of flourishing economy who have experienced the fastest growth in finance in more than 30 years. But it should be noted that the financial sector is governed by the state and is underdeveloped even today. The relationship between financial development and economic growth is generally negative. With the help of the provincial data between the period of 1990 to 1999 Boyreau-Debray (2003 cited in Ljungwal and Li, 2007) indentified that financial intermediation has affected the local economic growth negatively. Hasan, Wachtel and Zhou (2009 cited in Ljungwal and Li, 2007) with the help of provincial data for the period 1986 to 2002 has als o pointed out the fact that finance sector has negatively affected the economic growth of the country. But Chen (2006 cited in Ljungwal and Li, 2007) has argued the fact. By using the provincial data for the period of 1985 to 1999 had showed that financial development of China has contributed positively to the growth of the economy (Choong and Chan, 2011). He also examined the two channels, which contributed to the economy to be â€Å"the substitution of loans for budget appropriation mobilization of savings† (Zhang cited in Lanfang and Susheng, 2012). With the help of the provincial data of 1995to 2003, Cheng and Degryse (2007 cited in Zhang, Lanfang and Susheng, 2012) has examined the effect of expansion of the non-bank financial institutions and the banks on the local economic growth. He indentified that the development of the banks has positively affected the economic growth of China. Guariglia and Poncet (2008 cited in Zhang, Lanfang and Susheng, 2012) have used the data of period 1989 to 2003 and has identified two indicators for examining the relationship between economic growth and financial development in China. They concluded that the indicators for measuring the state intervention in financial development are negatively correlated with the economic growth of China. The indicators of market driven financing is positively correlated with the growth of the economy. Finally, Ayyagari, Demirguc-Kunt and Maksimovic (2008 cited in Zhang, Lanfang and Susheng, 2012) took the help of firm related data for examining relationship between growth of the firm and financing pattern of the firm, which can be informal versus formal finance. They explained that the formal financial system has encouraged the growth of the firms. Park and Sehrt (2001 cited in Zhang, Lanfang and Susheng, 2012) have identified that lending policy by the state banks have not fallen during 1991 to 1997 (Ljungwal and Li, 2007). Thus, it can be said that the financial development in Ch ina has created both positive and negative impact on the economic growth of China. 2. China’s financial development and economic growth China has experienced rapid growth in the economy after the reform in 1978. It has second largest economy in the world after United States and it can become the largest economy in the world in the coming 10 years on the basis of the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) (Allen, J. Qian and M. Qian, 2005). China has always played a significant role in the development o

Lotus Car Rental Launch Lotus Green Essay Example for Free

Lotus Car Rental Launch Lotus Green Essay In the current climate of environmental and financial concerns across the United States many businesses have taken the initiative to go â€Å"green. † Green products and practices often cost more at the start and then generate savings over the lifetime of the product through energy conservation and maintenance savings. Car rental agencies, including Lotus competitors, have begun to incorporate hybrid options into their fleet as a way of tapping into an emerging class of eco-conscious consumers. Hybrid vehicles are becoming more popular among consumers and are expected to be common place in the near future. Lotus can begin developing a green branch now as part of an initiative to update services that reflect future growth. There are currently more than 1,800,000 thousand cars for rent in the United States generating approximately $21 billion in revenue (Ohngren Brown, 2007). The car rental business as a whole has steadily increased since 2002 and a rise is expected over the next five years. However, due to the dramatic fluxation in gasoline prices as well as growing environmental concerns there is currently a demand for fuel efficient and hybrid vehicles. Rental statistics for Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs), minivans, large trucks and other vehicles that have low fuel economy have been on the decline since consumers began to feel the impact of rising gasoline costs. Current customers looking to save money at the pump as well as a new generation of environmentally conscious spenders are looking for hybrid options. Lotus can accommodate this potential clientele base by launching a line of â€Å"green† vehicles. Major competitors such as Avis – Budget, Rent-A-Car, Hertz and Enterprise already offer hybrid vehicles for rent. Although the price of these vehicles is higher per day customers are typically promised to save in gas mileage and they are paying the difference. The majority of potential clients interested in Hybrid vehicles are willing to pay more in exchange for the satisfaction of driving a vehicle that produces less carbon emissions and conserves gasoline. Hybrid-electric vehicles (HEV) use two or more sources of energy. The most common energy sources include a combination of renewable energy storage system (RESS) and gasoline or diesel. However, solar energy, hydrogen and other alternative sources of fuel are available for use in HEVs as well. HEVs can be configured to increase power, improve gas mileage or provide auxiliary power for electrical devices and power tools. Emerging technology dictates that alternative fuels and hybrid vehicles are leading the way into the future. According to a Priceline survey 72 percent of travelers want rental car companies to offer hybrid vehicles (Environmental Leader, 2007, p. 01). Approximately 39 percent said they would even be willing to pay $1 to $3 more per day for a hybrid option. Current investment projects in renewable energy may wan as the price of gasoline drops to $70 a barrel, the lowest in nearly two years, but long term projections indicate that the use of alternative fuels will prosper over the next ten years and gasoline usage (Environmental Leader, 2007, p. 01). Going green is going to become a necessity for rental companies that want to stay ahead of the curve. Specifically companies promoting the benefits of green business practices as well as â€Å"eco-marketing† can build strong brand integrity (Ohngren Brown, 2007). Advertising campaigns geared toward the emerging class of eco-conscience money makers are already proving to be successful. According to www. business. gov, a government based business resource, companies that are already competitive in price and services benefit from adding green initiatives, products and eco-labeling as a method of securing a share of the market (Business. gov The Official Business Link to the US Government, 2008) As a small business looking to expand in a growingly competitive market Lotus can benefit from launching a green fleet of rental options. Current competitors are only using Hybrid vehicles as a small percentage of their fleet. By replacing three currently outdated vehicles with Hybrid options Lotus can begin a green campaign as well as update current selection of vehicles. The Honda Civic Hybrid and the Toyota Prius are two of the most cost effective hybrid vehicles currently on the market. The 2009 Civic gets approximately 45 miles per gallon and can be purchased around $24,000. Although this is significantly higher than a conventional Civic, which costs approximately $16,000 and gets 34 miles per gallon, consumers looking to test drive a hybrid as well as a growing number of consumers who will make a decision based on environmental choices will choice this option over the conventional model despite the price. The 2009 Toyota Prius is emerging as an even more cost effective hybrid starting at $22,000 it gets 48 miles per gallon. The standard price of a conventional car rental is approximately $55 per day. Competitors are charging $5 to $15 more per day for hybrid vehicles (Rent a Hybrid Car, n. d. ). Hybrid vehicles are becoming increasingly more common. So much so that hybrid rentals are also becoming more common. Eventually the cost of hybrid rental cars may be equivalent to that of standard vehicles. However, rental companies must take the lead and offer hybrid vehicles as well as promote them in order to pursue this avenue of business expansion. â€Å"By making more hybrid vehicles available and promoting their benefits, rental companies could easily increase their popularity among otherwise uninterested consumers. As popularity increases, the price of renting these green cars, which cost less to maintain to begin with, could eventually equal that of standard rentals (Rent a Hybrid Car, n. d. ,  ¶ 4). In conclusion, hybrid vehicles currently cost more than conventional vehicles. But consumers are illustrating that they are willing to pay more for hybrid options. Furthermore, the popularity of hybrid vehicles has already increased dramatically and is expected to continue to do so. The natural process of supply and demand has already produced an increased number of hybrid vehicles within the automobile market. This trend is expected to continue until hybrid vehicles become a staple within the auto industry. Lotus competitors have already begun to incorporate hybrid vehicles into their fleet as well as launch green campaigns and solidify branding. Lotus can gain an edge by incorporating hybrid vehicles as well as launching a branch of green car rentals. Incorporating hybrids will keep Lotus competitive with other rental agencies as well as meet consumer demand for this product. Currently there are two cost effective hybrid options, the Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius. Although both have higher fuel economy than conventional vehicles the Prius is emerging as a better investment. The Prius gets better gas mileage and costs less. Adding a small percentage of hybrid options allows Lotus to launch a new eco-conscious branding campaign as well as pursue a new class of customers, the environmentally concerned. References Business. gov The Official Business Link to the US Government (Producer). (2008). Green Marketing [Video file]. Retrieved from www. business. gov Environmental Leader (2007, April 24). Rental Car Customers Want Hybrid Option. Retrieved from Environmental briefing web site: www. environmentalleader. com Ohngren, K. , Brown, C. (2007, September/October). The Greening of the Auto Rental Industry. Auto Rental News, 6. Rent a Hybrid Car (n. d. ). Green or not? How much eco-cred do rental car agencies get for offering hybrids?. Retrieved December 01, 2008, from www. hybrid-rental-car. com

Push and Pull Strategy Essay Example for Free

Push and Pull Strategy Essay Push Strategy A â€Å"push† promotional strategy makes use of a companys sales force and trade promotion activities to create consumer demand for a product. The producer promotes the product to wholesalers, the wholesalers promote it to retailers, and the retailers promote it to consumers. A good example of push selling is mobile phones, where the major handset manufacturers such as Nokia promote their products via retailers such as Carphone Warehouse. Personal selling and trade promotions are often the most effective promotional tools for companies such as Nokia for example offering subsidies on the handsets to encourage retailers to sell higher volumes. A push strategy tries to sell directly to the consumer, bypassing other distribution channels (e.g. selling insurance or holidays directly). With this type of strategy, consumer promotions and advertising are the most likely promotional tools. Pull Strategy A â€Å"pull† selling strategy is one that requires high spending on advertising and consumer promotion to build up consumer demand for a product. If the strategy is successful, consumers will ask their retailers for the product, the retailers will ask the wholesalers, and the wholesalers will ask the producers. A good example of a pull is the heavy advertising and promotion of childrens’ toys – mainly on television. Consider the recent BBC promotional campaign for its new pre-school program – the Fimbles. Aimed at two to four-year-olds, 130 episodes of Fimbles have been made and are featured everyday on digital childrens channel CBeebies and BBC2. As part of the promotional campaign, the BBC has agreed a deal with toy maker Fisher-Price to market products based on the show, which it hopes will emulate the popularity of the Tweenies. Under the terms of the deal, Fisher-Price will develop, manufacture and distribute a range of Fimbles products including soft, plastic and electronic learning toys for the UK and Ireland. In 2001, BBC Worldwide (the commercial division of the BBC) achieved sales of  £90m from its childrens brands and properties last year. The demand created from broadcasting of the Fimbles and a major advertising campaign is likely to â€Å"pull† demand from children and encourage retailers to stock Fimbles toys in the stores for Christmas 2002. Difference Between Push And Pull Strategy Push marketing is when you use various activities to get your message in front of your ideal client. The marketer is in control of what the message is, how it is seen, when and where. Marketing activities that encourage your prospect to seek you out and find out whether you have something of value to offer them. Pull marketing activities build relationships and can include blogging, podcasting, article marketing and networking (both on and offline). Pull marketing uses the law of attraction, incorporating all the components of your personal brand to attract and retain these people as your biggest fans. Pull marketing is where you develop advertising and promotional strategies that are meant to entice the prospect to buy your product or service. Some classic examples are â€Å"half off!† or â€Å"bring in this coupon to save 25%† or â€Å"buy one get one free†, etc. With pull marketing, you are trying to create a sense of increased, time limited value so that the customer will come into your store to buy. Pull is not about pulling consumers in; it’s about giving consumers a reason to pull us in. Remember truism #1 – they’re in control; they (not we) decide where they go and what they experience. We’ve lost the right to pull consumers anywhere (if we ever really had that right at all.) Pull means that we to go to them, join their communities, give them reasons to voluntarily draw us into their personal media experiences. We’re not interrupting them. They’re opting into us.

Reasoning in Artificial Intelligence (AI): A Review

Reasoning in Artificial Intelligence (AI): A Review 1: Introduction Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the developing areas in computer science that aims to design and develop intelligent machines that can demonstrate higher level of resilience to complex decision-making environments (Là ³pez, 2005[1]). The computations that at any time make it possible to assist users to perceive, reason, and act forms the basis for effective Artificial Intelligence (National Research Council Staff, 1997[2]) in any given computational device (e.g. computers, robotics etc.,). This makes it clear that the AI in a given environment can be accomplished only through the simulation of the real-world scenarios into logical cases with associated reasoning in order to enable the computational device to deliver the appropriate decision for the given state of the environment (Là ³pez, 2005). This makes it clear that reasoning is one of the key elements that contribute to the collection of computations for AI. It is also interesting to note that the effectiveness of the r easoning in the world of AI has a significant level of bearing on the ability of the machine to interpret and react to the environmental status or the problem it is facing (Ruiz et al, 2005[3]). In this report a critical review on the application of reasoning as a component for effective AI is presented to the reader. The report first presents a critical overview on the concept of reasoning and its application in the Artificial Intelligence programming for the design and development of intelligent computational devices. This is followed by critical review of selected research material on the chosen topic before presenting an overview on the topic including progress made to date, key problems faced and future direction. 2: Reasoning in Artificial Intelligence 2.1: About Reasoning Reasoning is deemed as the key logical element that provides the ability for human interaction in a given social environment as argued by Sincà ¡k et al (2004)[4]. The key aspect associated with reasoning is the fact that the perception of a given individual is based on the reasons derived from the facts that relative to the environment as interpreted by the individual involved. This makes it clear that in a computational environment involving electronic devices or machines, the ability of the machine to deliver a given reason depends on the extent to which the social environment is quantified as logical conclusions with the help of a reason or combination of reasons as argued by Sincà ¡k et al (2004). The major aspect associated with reasoning is that in case of human reasoning the reasoning is accompanied with introspection which allows the individual to interpret the reason through self-observation and reporting of consciousness. This naturally provides the ability to develop the resilience to exceptional situations in the social environment thus providing a non-feeble minded human to react in one way or other to a given situation that is unique in its nature in the given environment. It is also critical to appreciate the fact that the reasoning in the mathematical perspective mainly corresponds to the extent to which a given environmental status can be interpreted using probability in order to help predict the reaction or consequence in any given situation through a sequence of actions as argued by Sincà ¡k et al (2004). The aforementioned corresponds with the case of uncertainty in the environment that challenges the normal reasoning approach to derive a specific conclusion or decision by the individual involved. The introspective nature developed in humans and some animals provides the ability to cope with the uncertainty in the environment. This adaptive nature of the non-feeble minded human is the key ingredient that provides the ability to interpret the reasons to a given situation as opposed to merely following the logical path that results through the reasoning process. The reasoning in case of AI which aims to develop the aforementioned in the electronic devices to perform complex tasks with minimal human intervention is presented in the next section. 2.2: Reasoning in Artificial Intelligence Reasoning is deemed to be one of the key components to enable effective artificial programs in order to tackle complex decision-making problems using machines as argued by Sincà ¡k et al (2004). This is naturally because of the fact that the logical path followed by a program to derive a specific decision is mainly dependant on the ability of the program to handle exceptions in the process of delivering the decision. This naturally makes it clear that the effective use of the logical reasoning to define the past, present and future states of the given problem alongside the plausible exception handlers is the basis for successfully delivering the decision for a given problem in chosen environment. The key areas of challenge in the case of reasoning are discussed below (National Research Council Staff, 1997). Adaptive Software – This is the area of computer programming under Artificial Intelligence that faces the major challenge of enabling the effective decision-making by machines. The key aspect associated with the adaptive software development is the need for effective identification of the various exceptions and the ability to enable dynamic exception handling based on a set of generic rules as argued by Yuen et al (2002)[5]. The concept of fuzzy matching and de-duplication that are popular in case of software tools used for cleansing data cleansing in the business environment follow the above-mentioned concept of adaptive software. This is the case there the ability of the software to decide the best possible outcome for a given situation is programmed using a basic set of directory rules that are further enhanced using references to a variety of combinations that comprise the database of logical combinations for reasons that can be applied to a given situation (Yuen et al, 20 02). The concept of fuzzy matching is also deemed to be a major breakthrough in the implementation of adaptive programming of machines and computing devices in Artificial Intelligence. This is naturally because of the fact that the ability of the program to not only refer to a set of rules and associated reference but also to interpret the combination of reasons derived relative to the given situation prior to arriving on a specific decision. From the aforementioned it is evident that the effective development of adaptive software for an AI device in order to perform effective decision-making in the given environment mainly depends on the extent to which the software is able to interpret the reasons prior to deriving the decision (Yuen et al, 2002). This makes it clear that the adaptive software programming in artificial intelligence is not only deemed as an area of challenge but also the one with extensive scope for development to enable the simulation of complex real-world problem s using Artificial Intelligence. It is also critical to appreciate the fact that the adaptive software programming in the case of Artificial Intelligence is mainly focused on the ability to not only identify and interpret the reasons using a set of rules and combination of outcomes but also to demonstrate a degree of introspection. In other words the adaptive software in case of Artificial Intelligence is expected to enable the device to become a learning machine as opposed to an efficient exception handler as argued by Yuen et al (2002). This further opens room for exploring into knowledge management as part of the AI device to accomplish a certain degree of introspection similar to that of a non-feeble minded human. Speech Synthesis/Recognition – This area of Artificial Intelligence can be deemed to be a derivative of the adaptive software whereby the speech/audio stream captured by the device deciphers the message for performs the appropriate task (Yuen et al, 2002). The speech recognition in the AI field of science poses key issues of matching, reasoning to enable access control/ decision-making and exception handling on top of the traditional issues of noise filtering and isolation of the speaker’s voice for interpretation. The case of speech recognition is where the aforementioned issues are faced whilst in case of speech synthesis using computers, the major issue is the decision-making as the decision through the logical reasoning alone can help produce the appropriate response to be synthesised into speech by the machine. The speech synthesis as opposed to speech recognition depends only on the adaptive nature of the software involved as argued by Yuen et al (2002). This is due to the fact that the reasons derived form the interpretation of the input captured using the decision-making rules and combinations for fuzzy matching form the basis for the actual synthesis of the sentences that comprises the speech. The grammar associated with the sentences so framed and its reproduction depends heavily on the initial decision of the adaptive software using the logical reasons identified for the given environmental situation. Hence the complexity of speech synthesis and recognition poses a great challenge for effective reasoning in Artificial Intelligence. Neural Networks – This is deemed to be yet another key challenge faced by Artificial Intelligence programming using reasoning. This is because of the fact that neural networks aim to implement the local behaviour observed by the human brain as argued by Jones (2008)[6]. The layers of perception and the level of complexity associated through the interaction between different layers of perception alongside decision-making through logical reasoning (Jones, 2008). This makes it clear that the computation of the decision using the neural networks strategy is aimed to solving highly complex problems with a greater level of external influence due to uncertainties that interact with each other or demonstrate a significant level of dependency to one another. This makes it clear that the adaptive software approach to the development of the reasoned decision-making in machines forms the basis for neural networks with a significant level complexity and dependencies involved as argued by r efenrece8. The Single Layer Perceptions (SLP) discussed by Jones (2008) and the representation of Boolean expressions using SLPs further makes it clear that the effective deployment of the neural networks can help simulate complex problems and also provide the ability to develop resilience within the machine. The learning capability and the extent to which the knowledge management can be incorporated as a component in the AI machine can be defined successfully through identification and simulation of the SLPs and their interaction with each other in a given problem environment (Jones, 2008). The case of neural networks also opens the possibility of handling multi-layer perceptions as part of adaptive software programming through independently programming each layer before enabling interaction between the layers as part of the reasoning for the decision-making (Jones, 2008). The key influential element for the aforementioned is the ability of the programmer(s) to identify the key input and output components for generating the reasons to facilitate the decision-making. The backpropagation or backward error propagation algorithm deployed in the neural networks is a salient feature that helps achieve the major aspect of learning from mistakes and errors in a given computer program as argued by Jones (2008). The backpropagation algorithm in the multi-layer networks is one of the major areas where the adaptive capabilities of the AI application program can be strengthened to reflect the real-world problem solving skills of the non-feeble minded human as argued by Jones (2008). From the aforementioned it is clear that the neural networks implementation of AI applications can be achieved to a sustainable level using the backpropagation error correction technique. This self-correcting and learning system using the neural networks approach is one of the major elements that can help implement complex problems’ simulation using AI applications. The case of reasoning discussed earlier in the light of the neural networks proves that the effective use of the layer-based approach to simulate the problems in order to allow for the interaction will help achieve reliable AI application development methodologies. The discussion presented also reveals that reasoning is one of the major elements that can help simulate real-world problems using computers or robotics regardless of the complexity of the problems. 2.3: Issues in the philosophy of Artificial Intelligence The first and foremost issue faces in the case AI implementation of simulating complex problems of the real-world is the need for replication of the real-world environment in the computer/artificial world for the device to compute the reasons and derive upon a decision. This is naturally due to the fact that the simulation process involved in the replication of the environment for the real-world problem cannot always account for exceptions that arise due to unique human behaviour in the interaction process (Jones, 2008). The lack of this facility and the fact that the environment so created cannot alter itself fundamentally apart from being altered due to the change in the state of the entities interacting within the simulated environment makes it a major hurdle for effective AI application development. Apart from the real-world environment replication, the issue faced by the AI programmers is the fact that the reasoning processes and the exhaustiveness of the reasoning is limited to the knowledge/skills of the analysts involved. This makes it clear that the process of reasoning depending upon non-feeble minded human’s response to a given problem in the real-world varies from one individual to another. Hence the reasons that can be simulated into the AI application can only be the fundamental logical reasons and the complex derivation of the reasons’ combination which is dependant on the individual cannot be replicated effectively in a computer as argued by Là ³pez (2005). Finally, the case of reasoning in the world of Artificial Intelligence is expected to provide a mathematical combination to the delivery of the desired results which cannot be accomplished in many cases due to the uniqueness of the decision made by the non-feeble minded individual involved. This poses a great challenge to the successful implementation of AI in computers and robotics especially for complex problems that has various possibilities to choose from as result. 3: Critical Summary of Research 3.1: Paper 1 – Programs with Common Sense by Dr McCarthy The rather ambitious paper presented by Dr McCarthy aims to provide an AI application that can help overcome the issues in speech recognition and logical reasoning that pose significant hurdles to the logical reasoning in AI application development. However, the approach to the delivery of the aforementioned in the form of an advice taker is a rather feeble approach to the AI representation of the solution to a problem of greater magnitude. Even though the paper aims to provide an Artificial Intelligence application for verbal reasoning processes that are simple in nature, the fact that the interpretation of the verbal reasoning in the light of the given problem relative to an environment is not a simple component to be simulated with ease prior to achieving the desired outcome as discussed in section 2. â€Å"One will be able to assume that the advice taker will have available to it a fairly wide class of immediate logical consequences of anything it is told and its previous knowledge†. (Dr McCarthy, Pg 2). This statement by the author in the research paper provides room for the discussion that the advice taker program proposed by Dr McCarthy is aimed to deliver an AI application using knowledge management as a core component for logical reasoning. This is so because of the nature of the statement which implies that the advice taker program will be able to deliver its decision through access to a wide range of immediate logical consequences of anything it is told and its previous knowledge. This makes it clear that the advice taker software program is not a non-viable approach as the knowledge management strategy for logical reasoning is a component under debate as well as development over a wide range of scientific applications related problems simulation using AI. The Two S tage Fuzzy Clustering based on knowledge discovery presented by Qain in Da (2006)[7] is a classical example for the aforementioned. It is also interesting to note that the knowledge management aspect of artificial intelligence programming is mainly dependant on the speed related to the access and processing of the information in order to deliver the appropriate decision relative to the given problem (Yuen et al, 2002). A classical example for the aforementioned would be the use of fuzzy matching for validation or suggestion list generation on Online Transaction Processing Application (OLTP) on a real-time basis. This is the scenario where a portion of the data provided by the user is interpreted using fuzzy matching to arrive upon a set of concrete choices for the user to choose from (Jones, 2008). The process of choosing the appropriate option from the given suggestion list by the individual user is the component that is being replaced using Artificial Intelligence in machines to c hoose the best fit for the given problem. The aforementioned is evident in case of the advice taker software program that aims to provide a solution for responding to verbal reasoning processes of the day-to-day life of a non-feeble minded individual. The author’s objective ‘to make programs that learn from their experience as effectively as humans do’, makes it clear that the knowledge management approach with the ability of the program to utilise a database type storage option to store/access its knowledge and previous experiences as part of the process. This makes it clear that the advice taker software maybe a viable option if the processing speed related to the retrieval and storage of information from a database of such magnitude which will grow in size at an exponential rate is made available for the AI application. The aforementioned approach can be achieved by the use grid computing technology as well as other processing capabilities with the availability of electronic components at affordable prices on the market. The major issue however is the design for such an application and the logical reasoning processes of retrieving such information to arrive at a decision for a given problem. Form the discuss ion presented in section 2 it is evident that the complexity in the level of logical reasoning results in higher level of computation to account for external variants thus providing the decision appropriate to the given problem. This cannot be accomplished without the ability to deliver process through the existing logical reasons from the application’s knowledgebase. Hence the processing speed and efficiency of computation in terms of both the architecture and software capability is a question that must be addressed to implement such a system. Although the advice taker software is viable in a hardware architecture perspective, the hurdle is the software component that must be capable of delivering the abstraction level discussed by the author. This is because, the ability to change the behaviour of the system by merely providing verbal commands from the user which is the main challenge faced by the AI application developers. This is so because of the fact that the effective implementation of the aforementioned can be achieved only with the effective usage of the speech recognition and logical reasoning that is already available to the software for incorporating the new logical reason as an improvement or correction to the existing set-up of the application. This approach is the major hurdle which also poses the challenge of identifying the key speech patterns that are deemed to be such corrective commands over the statements’ classification provided by the user author for providing information to the application. Fr om the above arguments it can be concluded that the author’s statement – â€Å"If one wants a machine to be able to discover an abstraction, it seems most likely that the machine must be able to represent this abstraction in some relative simple way† – is not a task that is easily realisable. It is also necessary to address the issue that the abstractions that can be realised by the user can be realised by an AI application only if the application being used already has a set of reasons or room for learning the reasons from existing reasons prior to decision-making. This process can be accomplished only through complex algorithms as well as error propagation algorithms discussed in section 2.3. This makes it clear that the realization of the advice taker software’s capability to deliver to represent any abstraction in a relative simpler way is far fetched without the appropriate implementation of self-corrective and learning algorithms. The fact th at learning is not only through capturing the previous actions of the application in similar scenarios but also to generate logical reasons based on the new information provided to the application by the users is an aspect of AI application which is still under development but the necessary ingredient for the advice taker software. However, considering the timeline associated with the research presented by Dr McCarthy and the developments till date, one can say that the AI application development has seen higher level of developments to interpret information from the user to provide an appropriate decision using the logical reasoning approach. The author’s argument that for a machine to learn arbitrary behaviour simulating the possible arbitrary behaviours and trying them out is a method that is extensively used in the twenty-first century implementation of the artificial intelligence for computers and robotics. The knowledge developed in the machines programmed using AI is m ainly through the use of the arbitrary behaviours simulated and their results loaded into the machine as logical reasons for the AI application to refer when faced with a given problem. Form the arguments of the author on the five features necessary for an AI application hold viable in the current AI application development environment although the ability of the system to create subroutines which can be included into procedures as units is still a complex task. The magnitude of the processor speed and related requirements on the hardware architecture is the problem faced by the developers as opposed to the actual development of such a system. The author’s statement that ‘In order for a program to be capable of learning something it must first be capable of being told it’ is one of the many components of the AI application development that has seen tremendous development since the dawn of the twenty-first century (Jones, 2008). The multiple layer processing strategy to address complex problems in the real world that have influential variants both within the input provided as well as the output in the current state of AI application development is synonymous to the above statement by Dr McCarthy. The neural networks for adaptive behaviour presented in great detail by Pfeifer and Scheier (2001)[8] further justifies the aforementioned. This also opens room for discussion on the extent to which the advice taker application can learn from experience through the use of neural networks as an adaptive behaviour component for programming robots and other devices facing complex real-world problems. This is the kind of adaptive behaviour that is represented by the advice taker application by Dr McCarthy who described it nearly half a century ago. The viability of using neural networks to take comments in the form of sentences (imperative or declarative) is plausible with the use of the adaptive behaviour strategy described above using neural networks. Finally, the construction of the advice taker described by the author can be met with in the current AI application development environment although the viability of the same would have been an enormous challenge at the time when the paper was published. The advice taker construction in the twenty-first century AI environment can be accomplished using either a combination of computers and robotics or one of the two as a sole operating environment. So development of the AI application either using computers or robotics for the delivery of the advice taker is plausible depending upon the delivery scope for the application and its operational environment. Some of the hurdles faced however would be with the speech recognition and the ability to distinguish imperative sentences to declarative sentences. The second issue faced in the case of the advice taker will be the scope of application as the simulation of various instances for generating the knowledge database is plausible only withi n the defined scope of the application’s target environment as opposed to the non-feeble human mind that can interact with multiple environments at ease. The multiple layer neural networks approach may help tackle the problem only to a certain level as the ability to distinguish between different environments when formed as layers is not easily plausible without the knowledge on its interpretation stored within the system. Finally, a self-corrective system for AI application is plausible in the twenty-first century but the self learning system using the logical reasons provided is still scarce and requires a greater level of design resilience to account for input and output variants of the system. The stimulus-response forms described by the author in the paper is realisable using the multiple layer neural networks implementation with the limitation on the scope of the advice taker restricted to a specific problem or set of problems. The adaptive behaviour simulated using the neural networks mentioned earlier justifies the ability to achieve the aforementioned. 3.2: Paper 2 – A Logic for Default Reasoning Default reasoning in the twenty-first century AI applications is one of the major elements that attribute to the effective functioning of the systems without terminating unexpectedly unable to handle the exception raised due to the combination of the logic as argued by Pfeifer and Scheier (2001). This is naturally because of the fact that the effective use of the default reasoning process in the current AI application development environment aims to provide default reasoning when an exhaustive list of the reasons that are simulated and rules combinations are effectively managed. However, the definition of exhaustive or the perception of an exhaustive list for the development in a given environment is limited to the number of simulations that the users can develop at the time of AI application design and the adaptive capabilities of the AI system post implementation (refernece8). This makes it clear that the effective use of the default reasoning in the AI application development can be achieved only through handling a wide variety of exceptional conditions that arise in the normal operating environment for the problem being simulated (Pfeifer and Scheier, 2001). In the light of the above arguments the assertion by the author on the default reasoning as beliefs which may well be modified or rejected by subsequent observations holds true in the current AI development environment. The default reasoning strategy described by the author is deemed to be a critical component in the AI application development mainly because of the fact that the defaulting reasons are not only aimed to prevent unhandled exceptions leading to abnormal termination of the program but also the effective learning from experience strategy implemented within the application. The learn from experience described in the section 2 as well as the discussion presented in section 3.1 reveal that the assignment of a default reason for an adaptive AI application will provide room for identifying the exceptions that occur in the course of solving problems thus capturing new exceptions that can replace the existing default value. Furthermore, the fact that the effective use of the default reasoning strategy in AI applications also limits the learning capabilities of the application in cases where the adaptive behaviour of the system is not effective although preventing abnormal termination of the sys tem using the default reason. The logical representation of the exceptions and defaults and the interpretation used by the author to interpret the phrase ‘in the absence of any information to the contrary’ as ‘consistent to assume’ justifies the aforementioned. It is further evident from the arguments of the author that the default reason creation and its implementation into the neural network as a set of logical reasons are complex than the typical case wise conditional analysis on establishing a given condition holds true to the situation on hand. Another interesting factor to the aforementioned it the fact that the definition of the conditions must incorporate room for partial success owing to the fact that the typical logical approach of success or failure do not always apply to the AI application problems. Hence it is necessary to ensure that the application is capable of accommodating partial success as well as accounting for a concrete number to the given problem in order to gener ate an appropriate decision. The discussion on the non-monotonic character of the application defines the ability to effectively formulate the condition for default reasoning rather than merely defaulting due to the failure of the system to accommodate for the changes in the environment as argued by Pfeifer and Scheier (2001). Carbonell (1980)[9] further argues that the type hierarchies and their influence on the AI system have a significant bearing on the default reasoning strategies defined for a given AI application. This is naturally because of the fact that the introduction of the type hierarchies in the AI application will provide the application to not only interpret the problem against the set of rules and reference data stored as reasons but also assign it within the hierarchy in order to identify the viability of applying a default reason to the given problem. The arguments of Carbonell (1980) on Single-Type and Multi-Type inclusion with either strict or non-strict partiti oning justify the above-mentioned argument. It is further critical to appreciate the fact that the effective implementation of the type hierarchy in a logical reasoning environment will provide the AI application with greater level of granularity to the definition and interpretation of the reasons pertaining to a given problem (Pfeiffer and Scheier, 2001). It is this state of the AI application that can help achieve a significant level of independence and ability to interact effectively in the environment with minimal human intervention. The discussion on the inheritance mechanisms presented by Carbonell (1980) alongside the implementation of the inheritance properties as the basis for the implementation of AI systems in the twenty-first century (Pfeifer and Scheier, 2001) further justify the need for default reasoning as an interactive component as opposed to a problem solving constant to prevent abnorm

Daisy Buchanans Role in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald :: The Great Gatsby

In one of the greatest works of the Twentieth Century, The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald, there are many dynamic and round characters which greatly add to the story's theme. One character, Daisy Fay Buchannon, is made essential by way of her relation to the theme. An integral part of the plot, Daisy conveys the meaning of the novel, with her multi-dimensional personality and her relation to the conflicts. Daisy Buchannon is a round and dynamic character with many different sides to her personality. Early on in the book, she is portrayed as sweet and innocent. Her white and seemingly floating dress appeals to Nick in this way. She grew up as "the most popular of all the young girls in Louisville." Even then she dressed in white. Daisy also keeps her daughter around as a show toy. Whenever company comes over, she beckons for the little girl to come and put on a little act for everyone. This is symbolic of Daisy’s life; she is kept in the closet until it's time to show off for company, then she becomes radiant and personable. When everyone has gone, she is a bored housewife, of no importance to the world wondering aloud what she is going to do with the rest of her life. She appears to be bored yet innocent and harmless. Yet her innocence is false. Simply a materialistic young girl and has little mind of her own is underneath all of that covering. Daisy rediscovers her love with Gatsby because of his nice shirts and large house. Daisy has been well trained in a rich family. She has grown up with only the finest material goods. When Gatsby failed to contact her, she went off and married another man, without evening having heard a word from Gatsby. All of these many and round characteristics add complications to the plot and dimension to the meaning she adds to the book. The afore mentioned characteristics also help to create some of the main conflicts. Daisy was involved in the conflict between her and Tom. Tom had a mistress and Daisy was upset by it. Another conflict is her love affair with Gatsby. Her apparent sweetness and innocence allow Gatsby to fall in love with her. But her impatience and ignorance of true love or the meaning of truth or compassion allow her to flawlessly marry Tom, without a sober thought of Gatsby.

Media Analysis of Coverage of One Event Essay examples -- Compare Cont

Media Analysis of Coverage of One Event In various articles written about Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco’s visit to Cuba, the emphases are placed on different points, as the event is described from various angles. The Cuban newspaper Granma goes into more depth about Blanco and her entourage’s activities during their visit to Cuba, as well as giving a more detailed background of pertinent information about United States-Cuba relations, in the context of the embargo. La Nueva Cuba approaches the event from a different angle by providing more specifics about how this particular transaction will take place. There is also a brief compare and contrast of the ways that the United States and other nations choose to deal with Cuba, especially in matters of financing purchases. The Daily Advertiser chooses yet another facet of the issue to focus on. Because it is a Louisiana paper, it has a more domestically-oriented agenda. As a result, the article centers on Louisiana and Blanco, rather than Cuba and the United States as a whole. None of these reports reflect particularly badly on either Cuba or the United States, though each reporter’s preference is shown by the particular scope through which the respective pieces are written. The title of the Granma report is â€Å"Louisiana se acerca mas a Cuba,† a very curious title which creates a feeling of intimacy between the two entities. A mechanical analysis reveals the purposeful use of a reflexive verb only for Louisiana, rather than for both Louisiana and Cuba (i.e. â€Å"Louisiana y Cuba se acercan†). This depicts Louisiana as the active participant of the two, the one that is taking the initiative to align itself closer to Cuba. This way of describing the situation makes sense conside... ...is a smaller regional paper that is more concerned with domestic affairs than international relations. An examination of three articles from different sources but about the same event reveals the different ways of manifesting what is of great or negligible importance, how an entity chooses to present itself, or how the government prefers to have itself portrayed. The various angles chosen to approach the issue, as well as the use of supporting details illustrates the personal preference of the reporter and his or her reflection of each nation, state, or person featured in the report. Although these three articles from the Lafayette Daily Advertiser, Cuba’s conservative Granma, or the more liberal La Nueva Cuba do not exhibit criticism for either the US or Cuba, they showcase subtle opinions about the newly established trade agreement between Cuba and Louisiana.

The Causes of School Violence :: Expository Cause Effect Essays Columbine

Violence in schools is an ever-growing problem in America. It seems every time we turn on the television we hear news of a new and even more disastrous event. The question we need to ask ourselves now is how can we prevent these tragedies. Many agree that looking at the behavior of students and trying to catch the problem before it escalates could be the solution. Schools increasingly believe that their responsibility is not only to teach academics, but also to curb violent, disruptive, and antisocial behavior. They recognize that underlying problems, such as bullying, teasing and learning disabilities, need to be addressed. Many of these problems were present in Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the adolescent murderers from Littleton, Colorado, but were not adequately addressed before the tragedy. Dylan and Eric had been quiet, intelligent boys and respectful to their teachers throughout middle school, but as they entered high school, things began to change. Dylan and Eric began to alienate themselves and became "loners". They would play violent games and were easily agitated. For a class project, Dylan and Eric made a video featuring gunmen in long coats shooting athletes in the school hallways. They were often made fun of by the "popular" crowd. Why were these signs left unaddressed? Research has shown that the students most likely to own guns and bring them to school have histories of antisocial behavior involving violations of school codes of conduct and criminal laws. Violence, typically, is used to express feelings, to manipulate others, or to retaliate against others. Warning signs include: * Inability to self-regulate emotions * Exposure to violence/abuse * Alienation/rebelliousness * Peer rejection * Substance abuse * Academic failure/ low goals, aspirations * Lack of effort in school Violent youth usually feel alienated. The key to curbing this behavior is learning to recognize these signs and getting professional help for those displaying them. The earlier the intervention, the more effective it will be. Some medical conditions have been connected with violent behavior in young people.

Gender and Family Essay

Gender and family affect minors and their delinquency in many different ways. Both are factors that begin in the early learning stages in a minors life and continue on into adulthood. With gender, the difference between males and females is the socialization, cognition and behavioral development. Much like family, the gender aspect of delinquency will begin to take hold in the early learning stages of life. But, with family, the members of the family, the accepted behavior in the family, and the way a child is raised is all going to affect the minor and their delinquency. Although, gender and family can begin affecting a child early on in life, how they learn, and in which capacity they learn behavior, is what will play the biggest role in their delinquency. There are many roles that factor into the gender differences between males and females and their ability or capacity to become delinquent. Socialization, personality, and cognitive development is different in regards to males and females. For instance; socially, females are more likely to sustain relationships, and be non-aggressive, whereas, a male is independent, aggressive and may show anger more than females. (Siegel, Welsh, 2005) In regards to delinquency, females are more likely to offend in an non-aggressive manner like running away, and dodging school. Whereas, a male is more likely to be involved in aggressive crimes like assaults, or murders. A female involved in delinquent behaviors may be deemed as one who has psychological issues like mood disorders, or schizophrenia. (Siegel, Welsh, 2005) Unlike the male who commits the same status offenses and may not be considered delinquent at all. The reason being is that girls are held to a different standard than what males are. They are also widely affected by experiences in life and, females are more likely to have been a victim of abuse of some sort. Those type of experiences are handled differently between a males and a  females. Not only do they handle the situations differently mentally, but the families and who they are raised by will react differently as well. Which is where the gender and family aspects of delinquency connect. The family of a child (whether they are male or female) plays a life-long impacting role on the life of that child. The arrangement or variety of family members, the behaviors that are deemed acceptable, as well as, the environment for which a child is raised is all how the family affects the child. In the United States today, most children live in a single parent home, while also, dealing with a frequent number of family disruptions. (Siegel, Welsh, 2005) The family members present in a child’s life can affect the minor tremendously. Especially because, most single family homes consist of mothers and their children. These children need positive male role models as well as a mother who does not work 3 jobs 6 days a week. Whether the family has always been a single parent family, or if it became that, it will affect the delinquency in a minor. The need for a â€Å"reliable source of emotional and economic support† (Siegel, Welsh, 2005) is incredibly important for childre n and will affect them not only as a minor but as an adult too. The family and how the household is ran affects the delinquency of a minor tremendously. Without the proper guidance, love and support children will always run astray. Children need that dependency and discipline in their lives. Some children may also live in psychically, mentally, or sexually abuse homes, all of which produces delinquent behaviors. The family factor can remain the same, escalate or even deescalate dependent upon the child’s life and surroundings over an extended period of time. Members of the juvenile justice system view males and females differently, there is no doubt about it. When dealing with females it is more common to see underlying factors such as abuse, or psychological disorders as reasons towards the delinquent behaviors. Whereas, with  males there generally is not any underlying factors (there are specially circumstances) but more or less, delinquent acts being committed as a test of their adulthood or manhood. But, according to Siegel, and Welsh in the book Juvenile delinquency: The core, female offenders are categorized into two groups: â€Å"girls who momentarily stray from the â€Å"good girl† path and are therefore deserving of solicitous, humanitarian treatment, and dangerously  wayward girls who have serious problems and must therefore be kept under strict control lest they stray further.† The different treatment is aimed more at females than males, mostly because females are viewed to be different than males. There is a certain level of maturity that a (juvenile) female is expected to meet regardless if they know it or not. Unfortunately in regards to the law, no it is not fair. Males should be held up to the same expectations that a female is. Although, punishments could definitely be different between male and female juveniles, the description of delinquency should not be different because of gender. Unfortunately there is benefits to being a minor female in the eyes of the juvenile justice system and society, and yet there is not. A female may be deemed a delinquent for minor criminal activities whereas a male would be looked upon as one who is â€Å"just being a boy†. While also a female can be given a break faster than a male considering their home life and mental issues. Its a double standard really. Because, family and gender plays such large parts in the delinquency of a minor, it is safe to say that it should be considered whenever a minor is entered into the juvenile justice system. Social, cognitive, and behavioral development as well as family life, the members of family, and how a child is raised all go hand in hand in regards to a minor becoming a delinquent. That goes for both males and females. There really is no sure way to ensure a minor does not become delinquent. Only steps that can be taken to avoid it from happening. These steps begin in the very early stages of development and continue to be taken throughout the child’s entire life. Positive role models, a good home life, and as much time as possible with the parent’s can all help the process along into the right direction. References Siegel, L. J., Welsh, B. C., 2005, Juvenile Delinquency: The core, Chapter 6 Gender and Delinquency file:///C:/Users/Guest/Downloads/cjs240_week3_reading2.pdf Siegel, L. J., Welsh, B, C., 2005, Juvenile Delinquency: The core, Chapter 7 The Family and Delinquency file:///C:/Users/Guest/Downloads/cjs240_week3_reading3.pdf